Monday, September 21, 2015

SOMETHING BIG IS COOKING UP IN MANILA: APPLEBEE'S! - RINA

My first memory of Applebee's was in New Jersey when we met up with my Aunt Eva and Uncle Tony. It was late at night and it was still open, and there were a lot of customers still hanging out and having a great time watching a football game.(See my post here) This was way back in 2013. And now, fast forward to 2 years after, Applebee's is finally opening here in the Philippines! In the heart of Bonifacio Global City, Taguig!

And what's more special about it is, compared to all the previous Applebee's this is the first ever Applebee's that will be sporting off an urban industrial look! Ready? Look!

The bar area is the first one to welcome you at the entrance. Why not? It's in this bar where all the best mixes are made!

Like this Apple Sangria! My drink for the day! I loved it because the alcohol wasn't strong at all. It's perfect for a nice afternoon out with the girls without the need for getting drunk if you know what I mean. Deliciously refreshing!

Margarita, anyone? I was so tempted to try one but I was driving alone that day. Next time! You will be mine!

Looking around the first floor, I love how laid back it looks. The urban industrial feel is really so different from the usual Applebee's. As you can see it's a softer and modern approach to rustic industrial. (Thanks to my friend Steph who took up Interior Designing.)

Booths are always fun to sit on!

And when you go up the second floor, that's where you'll see the main dining area. It's a lot more spacious upstairs. But I can only imagine how full this will be once it opens. Yikes! But that's a good problem for them :)

On the second floor also is where you will find the open kitchen. Yep! Nothing to hide! Let's head on to the food! All of the food presented during the sneak peak are all part of the USA menu.

This appetizer is like breaded stuffed chili. It was the only dish on the table that didn't have a name plate and I couldn't find it on their menu. Will update this blog as soon as I find out! The important thing to know is that it was delicious! Especially with the white sauce that came with it.

If you're a fan of fried wonton like Richie then you will also love this Pot Stickers Appetizer (P325). They're fried wondon dumplings filled with shrimp and pork. It comes with two awesome sauces. The thai peanut and the soy dumpling sauce. I normally lean more towards salty or vinegary sauces but surprisingly I liked the thai peanut sauce more. It's really an awesome mix of flavors and textures in the mouth!

Under Bar Snacks, this Boneless Chicken Bites (P275) is also one of our table's favorite. The boneless chicken are really crispy on the outside, but seriously tender and juicy on the inside. You can choose between honey BBQ, classic buffalo, sweet & spicy, or Korean BBQ for the chicken coating. It's awesome!

Another item on the Bar Snacks is the Double Crunch Bone-In Wings (P295), which was also really addicting. These delicious wings are double-fried, and you can choose between the same sauces mentioned above for the chicken coating.

Now, for the pasta, they made us try this 4-Cheese Mac N Cheese with Honey Pepper Chicken Tenders (P385). And yes, you guessed it, we all fell in love with it. They didn't use the normal bow-shaped macaroni noodles. They used Cavatappi, which are these cute curly-shaped macaroni. Then the pasta is covered in a delicious 4-cheese cream sauce, then they added some bell peppers and beautiful bacon, and finally topped with chicken tenders glazed in delicious honey pepper sauce. I am really going back for this!

Then, under Steak and Ribs, we all got to try this tall dark and handsome Pork Ribs (P650 half, P950 full). Marinated in Applebee's special house blend, grilled just right, and served with a corn on the cob, some fries, and cole slaw. For the sauce, you can choose between honey BBQ, smokey chipotle, spicy sweet Asian chili, and Korean BBQ sauce. I personally am not a fan of ribs in general but it was really good, and fall-off-the-bone tender. Richie will really love this!

Under the burger category, they served us all the Cowboy Burger (P525). I'm telling you, I only have moods for burgers. Si I didn't really think I would enjoy this one but boy was I wrong! It was really good! Flavors everywhere! It's a true western burger, topped with crispy onion strings, and then blanketed with melted white cheddar cheese, then smoked bacon, all enveloped in a toasted brioche bun with honey BBQ sauce, tomato, onions, lettuce, and pickles. I cannot wait to go back and try their other delicious sounding burgers on the menu! (Seen at the bottom of this post).

One more time. Because the Cowboy Burger needs a close-up

If you want a slightly lighter burger, you may want to try the Quesadilla Burger (P525). It's the first time I've tried something like this. They used jack and cheddar quesadilla instead of buns! With the same juicy burger, with Applebee's signature Mexi-ranch sauce, plus pico de gallo, and then shredded lettuce.

Of course you can't leave without getting dessert. The Churros S'mores (P245) was also a first for me. Instead of dipping your churros in hot chocolate, you dip it in a s'mores dip! Toasted marsh mallows, and instead of the usual chocolate brand dip, Applebee's Philippines uses Malagos chocolate from Davao. Isn't that awesome?!?

The Triple Chocolate Meltdown (P295) is a chocolate cake with a choco fudge center, and then topped with vanilla ice cream and then smothered again in more hot fudge. It cannot end any sweeter than this (figuratively speaking)

Congratulations Applebee's for a succesful sneak peak and now we all await for your glorious announcement of what specific date you'll be open to the public! For now they can only tell us that they are opening sometime this month of September 2015. Yay! We're so excited to invite more friends to eat and drink and just have an awesome time! With Applebee's, there's always a reason to celebrate!